Blurb:To end the war between their kingdoms, Darkrock and Strongsea are ordered to marry and select a female mate to be shared between them. Bitter enemies, the men rebel against the notion of being bound for life, but despite their opposing personalities, they can't control their passion for each other.When Radiance, a merchant from Earth, crashes on the planet Shandra, she is taken into slavery and bought as a gift for Darkrock and Strongsea. Both desire the exotic human slave, but Strongsea's compassionate nature drives him to protect her against Darkrock's lust.Soon Radiance and Strongsea realize there's more to Darkrock than his harsh veneer, but only together can they draw out his inner man.

Excerpt:

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"Darkrock come. Sit," Ridgeback said in his rumbling voice while gesturing toward the empty seat to his left.

Darkrock did as ordered. His advisor sat near him and the guard stood behind. Darkrock bowed his head respectfully to the Tri-Ruler, then his gaze locked with Strongsea's. The man was annoyingly handsome. Almost too handsome for a Shand leader. His wheat-colored beard was neatly trimmed, accentuating his chiseled bone-structure. Only his strong nose and the predatory look that sometimes gleamed in his thickly-lashed blue eyes kept him from being too pretty. He wore his pale hair ultra-short, almost shaved to his scalp, probably because dark-haired men were considered far more masculine on Shandra. Tall and lithe, he gave a deceptively elegant appearance, but as Darkrock had discovered during their battle, Strongsea was tough and supple. Grappling with him had been like tangling with warm metal -- powerful and almost impossible to break. Just thinking about it made Darkrock's belly tighten and his cock tingle to life. Of course he wasn't turned on by Strongsea. He hated the man, but at times anger and arousal provoked the same response. If and when he chose his mate it wouldn't be a man like this.

Rugged good looks, similar to Darkrock's, were preferred in their culture.

During their earlier battle, Darkrock had tried his best to destroy his rival's gorgeous face. He nearly curled his lip in disgust, noting that even the swollen lower lip, blackened right eye and four painful-looking scratches down his left cheek couldn't disguise Strongsea's beauty. Maybe exile or sentence to a hard labor prison camp would.

Ridgeback said, "I was saying, and Strongsea agreed, that as leaders of the two most powerful sectors on Shandra, your recent behavior has set a poor example."

"He's agreed?" Darkrock said, not bothering to keep the sneer from his lips. "Strange, considering he's the cause of the problem, as you must have seen if you read my report."

"In your report you accuse Strongsea of planning an assassination and takeover of your sector. Of course such allegations warrant a full investigation, which would take much longer than a single day," Ridgeback said and Darkrock didn't miss his note of sarcasm. "However, a quicker method is to question Strongsea."

"As if he'd tell the truth," Darkrock scoffed, his gaze shifting from the Tri-Ruler to his hated rival.

"He accepted questioning by the Spike of Integrity," Ridgeback stated.

This surprised Darkrock. The Spike of Integrity was an old and powerful tool that never failed to bring forth the truth from its victims. Sector leaders were rarely subjected to it. A long, ultra-thin needle was inserted into the back of the neck, supplying a controlled stream of serum that forced the suspect to tell the truth.

"The results have cleared Strongsea of your accusations. He submitted to a full questioning regarding this matter as well as some others that have caused concern. I must admit that I had some reservations about him when he first took leadership, but they have been eradicated. He is a most worthy and respectable man."

Darkrock drew a deep breath. His fingers gripped the chair arms so hard that his nails sank into the wood, yet he tried to appear calm and collected. This was completely unexpected and most unsettling.

"I suggest you question your intelligence staff closely, particularly those who provided you with the false information about Strongsea. I fear if there is an assassination being planned, it won't be coming from another sector, but will be internal," Ridgeback said.

Darkrock nodded, his jaw tight. "It seems you may be right."

"My praise of Strongsea doesn't mean that I find him to be a perfect leader," Ridgeback continued. "Nor do my reprimands toward you mean that I am not pleased with your performance. On the contrary, I have always found you to be one of the strongest and most honorable leaders on Shandra."

Darkrock wasn't moved by pandering -- not that he felt the Tri-Ruler was being untruthful. Sugar coating anything wasn't Ridgeback's style and that was a quality Darkrock respected.

"The problems between your sectors have always been a source of concern on Shandra. Now that it again has you on the brink of war -- and has driven you into a leadership battle -- I am compelled to step in. I sanctioned this morning's battle only because I hoped it would put an end to your rivalry and bring peace to Shandra. When the battle ended in a draw, I realized you are equally matched in many ways, but also complement each other. The best decision for Shandra won't be to choose one of you over the other, but to merge your sectors."

"Merge?" Darkrock said, his control close to snapping.

"As in they become a single sector?" Strongsea demanded, his peaceful expression fading, replaced by the same tension Darkrock had seen during the leadership battle.

"Exactly," Ridgeback said. "You can learn much from each other and will balance each other well. Strongsea, you are a modern man of new ideas and fresh insights. Darkrock, you are rooted in tradition. Together you can improve Shandra as surely as you would destroy it fighting each other."

"Which of us will be the leader?" Darkrock asked, almost afraid of what the answer would be.

"Neither. You will have equal control."

"And if we don't agree to this?" Darkrock said.

"Then you relinquish your position and a new representative of your former sector will be chosen to share leadership."

"I'll have to rule with him?" Strongsea said, his wide-set blue eyes narrowing almost to slits as he glared at Darkrock.

"More than that," Ridgeback said. "You and Darkrock will be joined in matrimony. You will select a wife to be shared between you, and your heirs will be of the new sector."

Darkrock couldn't quite retain any of the Tri-Ruler's words past "joined in matrimony." Somehow he managed to notice that Strongsea's golden-skinned face went quite pale and his pearly teeth clenched visibly. Even when furious the bastard was fucking handsome.